


The Cross Species Battle (Final Rewrite)

by FreakCityPrincess



Category: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
Genre: Action, Adventure, Aftermath of Violence, Angst, Conflict, F/M, Gen, Global Conflict, Interspecies War, Military Alliances, Missions, Nuclear Weapons, Strategies, post-TLG
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 12:09:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7934098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakCityPrincess/pseuds/FreakCityPrincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The devastating war between the worlds can only be won by the human race when an ancient plague threatens to erase the magic of the People. With hostages, space-time and warfare in the mix, Artemis Fowl has a maze of interconnected problems to deal with and a web of battles to win; but all he wants, all both sides want right now, is Holly Short on their side.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Normal Circumstances

Fowl Manor

Dublin, Ireland.

The first thing any non-human would have hitting his or her head, sinking into their pores and overpowering all motor functions upon entering the Fowl's ancestral residence, was without a doubt the _sheer size_ of everything. And not just the towering marble columns or the grand oaken staircase, which were quite something even in Mud Man terms, but, well, if you were three feet tall, and if it was your first or second time, you'd feel about the same way an ant feels inside a bathtub with a massive human hand about to twist the tap. Despite there not being any real impending danger _unless you weren't welcomed_ ,it was exactly the feeling that the miles-away ceiling and the broad timber floors gave you.

The number was few, but it was no small boast that the Fairy People did in fact have a handful of their members who were quite used to the Manor's feel, immune to the size and welcomed by its patrons. A small step. But a step nonetheless, and if they would say the word, the first real foundation.

Deep into one of the spacious corridors on the second floor, a door clicked for privacy and a shower turned on.

Minutes later, Holly Short was trying to relax. She had been arguing with the notion of sleep for a remarkable two hours, and had somehow convinced her retreating senses that all they needed was a hot shower. They had screamed back. She'd quickly coaxed them into the prospect of a steaming tub, and so here she was, a welcome guest to the Manor with a mind in a dozen other places on and under the world.

_A vision, maybe two. Three squat buildings in the distance wore a crown of fire...sirens, blaring signals from the nerves of Haven City..._

_Screaming. Too much of it._

_Charring, sizzling, burning. Too much of that as well._

_The vision changes. She's safe. Bleeding, bruised, but safe, surrounded by three concerned faces. One takes her hand. She thinks it's a friend, but it's just a paramedic making a pulse count. She closes her eyes, but soon wishes she hadn't; now the scenery was new a second time._

_It's on the surface. A nice enough view, a skyline to put New York to shame...she frowns. It is New York. What was she doing there? What had she ever done there?_

_Someone says something, but she doesn't catch it, and she turns around and looks. Her breath gets caught._

_The human worriedly observing her is..._

_He's something to worry about himself. But he doesn't pay that any attention._

_A bolt of lighting. She's staring at the surface from the top of the world; and all she sees is the colour red. She dares to hope it's just her eyes, but she rubs the blood from them, and the world is..._

_Still..._

_Burning._

_That was one of the better attacks that happened._

Holly bolted upright, suddenly aware of the soap and water gently drowning into her ears and nose. "D'Arvit," she muttered, sinking back into the water cautiously. Maybe hot tubs were a bad idea for nerve-wrecked souls.

She glanced around the fittings. Standing out in sharp contrast to the hallways and wallpaper outside, the bathroom facilities were simplistic and modern, if a little expensive-looking. A tiny hidden projector cast a digital timing on the empty wall. 12:34.

Holly Short was trying to relax, really. Trying, but barely having success. She watched the soap bubbles of varying sizes take their places in the sea of foam, floating over every inch of the warm water. She felt her muscles tense, then relax and let the tingling sensation wound its way up to the tips of her pointed ears.

Six weeks. There hadn't been a human attack in six weeks, which was neither great nor bad news. They could be planning a bigger step ahead in world domination for all she knew. Developing bigger weapons. Recruiting better forces.

It had all started three years ago, after the Great Techno Crash. The humans' source was still undiscovered, but someone had revealed the existence of Haven City. It hadn't, at first, been the nightmare they had dreaded: the Mud Men had actually come in peace. They promised residential areas above ground in exchange for technology to develop their own civilization. It had actually gone quite well.

And one day, war broke out. How, and why, was as of yet unknown: all they did know was that half of the Mud Men's population was on their side and the other half had turned against them, plunging the world into a cross species war, a second battle of Taillite that there was no running away from. Holly sighed, running her fingers through her hair. There were only three safe places left on the planet-Haven, the Above Ground LEP Headquaters and this-Fowl Manor, Ireland. What insane troops would siege on the Fowl Estate?

She picked up her communicator after its second ring. Handy, having it nearby at unlikely places; but these were certainly not unlikely times. No one could tell when the next big alert would come. "Foaly, I'm busy."

The centaur could be heard whining on the other end of the line. It was not a pleasant sound, like scraping nails on a chalk board. "With what, taking a bath?"

Holly sat up a little straighter again. "Are you watching me from somewhere?"

"No, Myles told me. I ringed up the Manor first. This is not the time for a bath! I am freaking out over here. We're getting reports of Mud Man patrols hanging around in the area...What if they breach my security? Everyone's on holiday, Holly! We're missing the only officers who could help! Including you! Are you even listening?"

The Elfin Captain closed her eyes, sighing. This war had worked wonders on her friend's paranoia. "I'll get there in a while. I just...I just really miss Artemis, Foaly. Didn't get to talk to him yet."

"Artemis! Artemis!" Foaly let out a snortlike whinny. "Oh, willing to forgo all sense of priority, are we now? Because you want to hang out with your boyfriend?"

On any other day, Holly would've fired a scathing comeback in a matter of a moment, but the most she had energy for right now was a poisonous glare in the direction of his hologram, so that was what she settled with. "I'm trying to relax. Given everything that has been going on the past week, I think I deserve it. Now would you mind moving onto something that won't make me feel like kicking your rear when I get back?"

The centaur muttered something that the whisper sensitive equipment managed to convey to her, so it was purely her problem that she didn't understand the Centaurian language. Finally he composed his nerves, which had been as twisted as hers over the previous days, and settled with a relatively safe topic. "Did I tell you what I planned for Caballine's birthday?"

The elf smiled. Annoying as the centaur could be, even she had to admit that his unwavering dedication to his wife- even in the smallest ways - was pretty sweet. Not that she'd ever voice that thought. Not that there'd be a point, anyway. Foaly didn't bite the bait of teasing. "Do spill."

Foaly went in to great detail about his upcoming party and what he planned on doing with the lights, the lamps (she asked what the difference was, only to soon wish she hadn't) and the artificial weather machine he recently patented that outdid his own previous models that most of the city's weather parks had. Holly pasted on a look of mild interest, but in reality she blocked out the incessant techno-babble and paid attention instead to the feeling of the warm soap bubbles that nudged at her skin, mesmerizing her senses now that the jacuzzi feature started to work...

"D'Arvit!" started Foaly, cutting short her moment of bliss. He scrambled around his gadgets in a frantic search of something–Holly raised an eyebrow and didn't bother reacting further.

"Mud Boy was eavesdropping," grumbled Foaly, picking up some sort of console. "Holly, get this guy under control!" There was a wave of static that twisted the centaur's features, before the small projection split into two holograms from the communicator, which she carefully put down on the nearby windowsill so she could see what was really going on. One projection held a frustrated centaur's face, and the other was the face of a pale human with a smirk playing across his features. He nodded at her.

"Good evening, Holly."

"Hey, inopportune," snapped Foaly. "Switch the holograms off, she's taking a bath."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "We're both at the same angle."

Despite knowing full well that both friends could see little below her chin, the elf sunk further into the mass of bubbles a little self-consciously, arms crossed.

"Well?" She demanded. "What valid reason do you have for interrupting my bath?"

"Is that Beckett's rubber duck? He assured me he had outgrown it," said Artemis, stepping his way around her question.

Holly cast a weary glance at the toy on the counter behind her. "Artemis, why are you here?"

"Yeah, why are you here?" repeated Foaly.

"I'm not coming home tonight," stated Artemis matter-of-factly. "Also, I didn't know you'd be unavailable, and my apologies for that, Holly, but I have to ask something of you."

Holly raised an eyebrow testily. "Oh really? You may have not guessed I'd be taking a bath, Mud Boy, but at the very likeliest I would be _asleep_ at this time. Means you were planning on disturbing me anyway."

Artemis shrugged, not even trying to look apologetic this time. "It's important."

"Is it related to that bio-nuke dismantling strategy you've been dragging for the past month?" asked Foaly dryly. "Holly, it's insane and his drafts are crazy. Don't accept the offer."

Holly winked at Artemis. "Nice try, Fowl."

Artemis sighed irritably. "No, Foaly, I wasn't asking the Captain to be my guinea pig– pardon, our guinea pig."

Foaly snorted unappreciatively. "You took the reigns from me, Mud Boy."

"I am," cut in Holly, " _Nobody's_ guinea pig. Step on it, Artemis, and tell me what you want that is so important you had to–"

"I need you down here in Haven."

Holly paused, taking this in, then asked in the tone she found that most expressed displeasure, "Why and for how long?"

"Not long," assured their human contact. "Just tomorrow night, and only for a couple of hours. There are things we have to discuss in a saner atmosphere than HQ. After which, of course, I will be returning Aboveground, and you're welcome to follow suit."

"I'm welcome to," snorted Holly. "You really think I have a choice with my shifts, Mud Boy?"

"What," came Foaly's curious notes. "Exactly do you have to discuss in a saner environment than HQ?"

"Three upcoming plans related to the good Captain's division," Artemis showed the number on his fingers just in case the centaur would take it as an insult to his intellect, which, to the human's great satisfaction, he did, and whinnied once in protest. "As well as the case of our enemy's new favourite weapon. In my experience, Foaly, you aren't the best person to bring that up with."

Foaly guffawed. "You make life harder for me, yet you turn around and shit the blame."

Holly couldn't help a mean little chuckle. "Alright, ladies," she interrupted Artemis's tip-of-the-tongue retort. "You can swap office gossip later." She rested her chin in the foam of soap bubbles and looked over at Artemis. "Your flat?"

Artemis didn't even object. For the past year now he had had to repeatedly remind her that no, it was not a flat (as in Haven City living in a 'flat' was only acceptable for budget graduates), it was indeed a very respectable _apartment_ that had cost a lot. Despite the on-purpose reference to his expensive abode as something he considered classless, a slow grin played across his lips at the question.

Holly frowned the slightest bit, unsure what the smug grin was in return for. "What? We are meeting up at your flat, right?"

Artemis shook his head, the corners of his lips curled up in a smile. Whether it had genuine reasons or whether it was for her ignorance she did not know. "The Pristine. Eight o'clock at the latest. I look forward to meeting you there, Captain."

Holly froze in her attempt at blowing a bigger soap bubble than before.

"Oh dear," observed Foaly unhelpfully, a wicked look stamped to his face.

Holly turned to the Mud Man slowly. "Excuse me, but did you just say..."

"I'm paying the bill," asserted Artemis.

The elf just stared, almost gawked at him. He spent a moment or two wading in the waters of self-accomplishment and more smugness, before nodding them both a farewell and cutting the line from his end.

Holly was left with only Foaly's miniature hologram to gawk at.

"Well," commented the centaur with a smirk. "I'm willing to bet you won't hear a lot about blueprints or barricade agendas on your _date_."

took Holly a whole second to process this, but when she did, the outcome was expectedly violent.

"Shut your molars, centaur," she snapped.

Foaly dragged at his cheeks in horror. "Ooh, I'm so afraid you're going to reach out and punch me."

"When I get back to HQ," snarled Holly. "I will."

The centaur grew decidedly sober after that. "But in all seriousness, Holly, why would he choose to conduct business over there? It isn't exactly...I mean, trust me when I say this, but it isn't your kind of environment. Full of rich fairies and silverware. Our dwarf friend would purge at the site of it. Well, maybe just before realizing all the things he can steal."

Holly held up a hand to shut him. "Just a second there, Foaly. All I know about Pristine is that it's a seven-star dining establishment that opened with the intention of making humans feel more welcome in Haven, and also getting fairies used to appreciating human culture. It was French or something. And..."

She trailed off, then Foaly eagerly picked up. "And it's exclusive, has private tables, a jazz band and a quite spectacular view of the city from its sky lounge."

Holly looked at him questioningly.

"Took Caballine there once," he explained proudly. "Quite recently, in fact. So I am as surprised as you are that Fowl would consider it ideal for a mandatory strategy session, unless it is not a mandatory strategy session that he invited you over for."

Holly felt she wasn't keeping up, somehow. "What do you mean?"

Foaly gave her an innocent look. "Oh, seven-star dining, a view of the pretty lights, a table for two...what do you suppose it could _possibly_ mean?"

And the little hints finally hit her hard enough for her to physically jerk back, almost hitting her head on a low overhead shelf, while her complexion took on a dash of scarlet that would've impressed a makeup artist.

"W-What..." stammered Holly, eyes wide, ears aflame. Her soldier's bravado and logic had left her. So had her general ability of coherent thought.

Foaly's grin only grew impossibly wide. "Oh, I would get out of there if I were you. Too much of bubble bath can have you smelling _distinctly_ like pheromones to interested humans."

"Shut. Up," scowled Holly. "Shut up _now_ if you value your life."

"Oh, but think of what's ahead, darling," sang Foaly. "And oh, the planning! He didn't give you quite enough time to plan what to wear, did he?"

Holly grabbed the duck off the counter and clenched her fist around it, imagining with all her might that the helplessly squeaking rubber was a certain centaur's primary nerve cluster. Or the brain. Directly the brain would be better.

"I see someone has taken my teasing _too_ much to heart," noted Foaly, smirking unbelievably. "Why? Recalled a particular _moment of passion,_ Captain?"

Holly released the duck and grabbed a bottle of shampoo off the counter. It would last longer against the pressure. "There was nothing!"

"Mm, what was that?" asked Foaly distractedly. "Uh huh, sorry, a little engrossed in the Mud Boy here, Foaly, priority can wait!"

Holly slammed a fist into a red button and the connection was cut, and gone was the hologram of the ridiculous centaur who'd just started making kissy faces.

She exhaled a loud breath of boiling frustration before sinking back slowly into the filled tub. The bubble jets did nothing to calm her now.

She shot a bitter look at the communicator, for some reason wanting to believe that the genii had set this up just so Foaly could have his fun. It wouldn't make her feel better, of course, but at least it'd give her an excuse to get them both.

All hopes of a peaceful night's rest evaporated off Holly's mood when, the moment she finished putting on a big tshirt and tracks that belonged to Juliet, an urgent knock sounded on her door.

She looked at it for a few seconds, toying with the idea of ignoring it completely, but she knew better from previous experience that she could not fool even the youngest Fowls.

Trying to look dejected and haggardly and badly in need of rest– which wasn't at the moment a hard look to pull off– she opened the door to two angelic faces that wore excited grins.

"You're late," stated Myles.

"Sorry," said Holly, not feeling too sorry. She had the entire night to fascinate them with stories of the LEP and her miscellaneous adventures. But hide and seek was a different matter. The elf shuddered as she recalled their last game. Not to go into detail, but it had involved a gallon of hair gel, a drum set, and a clothes line.

"When is the Battalion planning on setting off another nuclear blue rinse?" asked Myles, getting the whole question out in a single breath. "Artemis said something about a flaw in the design. I believe him and Mr Foaly have been making an effort to find out exactly what–"

Holly yawned a little pointedly.

Beckett mistook this for his cue. "Who cares, right, Holly?"

Holly groaned.

"How do you shoot with a gun?"

"Beckett," said his twin disgustedly. "That's a stupid question."

"So is the stuff about bombing!" huffed the other six-year-old.

In a truly rare turn of events, Myles took to complaining to the only present adult. "Holly!"

Beckett scowled back. "Holly, tell him!"

The elf groaned. It was going to be a long night, alright.


	2. Pretty city lights

Holly found herself trying to relax for the second time in less than twenty four hours. The previous night had been spent for the most part conversing with Foaly and her human counterpart, and just when she'd heaved a sigh of relief that that was over, she'd been quite literally dragged to the library by a pair of miniature mud boys on the premise of reading them a _past-bedtime_ story. And what was she doing up at this time tonight, anyway? Frond knew she deserved a good eight hours of sleep after the restless past few weeks. And she would be asleep on the table now, truly; theirs was a private table, there was no food in front of her yet therefore plenty of space, and the high-nosed socialites occupying the other tables would see none of it– but this time it was a string of thought that threatened her peace of mind. A string that an infuriating centaur had so tightly woven into her mood.

 _And remember,_ he'd said over the phone two hours ago. _You owe me two cartons of beetle juice if he's booked a private table in the sky lounge over the pretty lights._

Now just where the hell was she going to find the time to buy those cartons?

The restaurant's interior, Holly had to admit, was a thing of the simplest beauty. On the way in they had passed elegantly crafted bronze memorabilia and wallpaper of a dull, appealing golden colour. The stairs were framed with steel railings, poised to sharply contrast the soft velvet floor padding– but that was about all she'd got to see before Artemis had protested against taking the stairs and they'd entered the mirrored elevator instead.

As for where they were now, it was neigh impossible to look in three of the four directions without one's breath being taken away. The so-called Sky Lounge offered a 180-degree view of Haven City below and was as promising as Foaly had insisted. Well, it was a worthwhile price to pay for the beetle juice. She was going to tell him.

Artemis Fowl sat across from her, and Butler stood guard at the door even though it looked an unnecessary precaution as all their enemies were above ground. He had his back to them. Holly mused that it looked rather like a punishment handed out to first-graders, facing the wall like that.

Artemis caught her observation and chuckled. "There _is_ a porthole on the door, Captain."

"Ah," Holly put her eyebrow down. "I see."

Their window offered no source of illumination save for the plentiful city lights and two pale glo-strips that ran along Butler's wall. The dim but sufficient lighting created an almost magical effect within the glass box.

"So...what blueprints do you have?"

The question came out as though forced, and it did not sound businesslike as she had intended.

Artemis indulged in a prolonged sigh.

"Frankly, Captain? Nothing more than the skeleton of an idea, and even that isn't all in place. But what I _can_ offer you is some rather...valuable...and in hindsight, futile intel that we have received from our mystery source."

"Our mystery source," snorted Holly. "Artemis, in all honesty, how do we know we can trust this person? They haven't turned up for any of our appointments. They've never replied to a message. This might be the Mud Men trying to dance with us."

Artemis pursed his lips in thought, as if her concern hadn't occurred to him multiple times. "It's highly likely, Holly. It's made even likelier by the absolute futility of our most recent warning. Something devastating that we cannot do much to prevent as no further details were supplied. In perception, the _warning_ sounds more like a boast."

Holly accepted the folded sheet of paper.

" _Battalion plans to attack nuclear generators and power plants. Bid to remove fairies from the surface. Believe damage can be fixed afterward. PM if received_ ," she read out loud. Then, raising an eyebrow a second time, observed, "This is too vague to be considered information at all. Is that why you didn't send it Foaly directly?"

Artemis nodded once. "Like I said, it's of absolutely no use, but it's not a threat that can be ignored. The damage such an attack will cause is...insurmountable. It will destroy the planet. It cannot be undone. And..."

"Radiation is poison to fairies, so this is poised to keep the People away for centuries to come," said Holly, catching on with a frown. "But...Arty, surely they can't be this _thick_? Ambushes, assasinations, shootouts are one thing, but this? What can they possibly hope to achieve that they can't by means of another scare? Other than burning this planet to the ground? They've already got nuclear bio-bombs, and as if that isn't enough–"

"Dinner's here," called Butler from his position at the door, in almost hushed tones. The elf got the message that their waiter probably had no clue who they really were, and it was best it stayed that way.

Once the sprite had left, Holly did indeed forget the progress they were making in their discussion and choose instead to dig at the food with her eyes alone, realizing just how starved she felt. It was a mouth-watering spread to say the least. Fully vegetarian, and she had never known before that so many varieties of leaves _existed_. She cast an almost-discreet glance up at her human friend.

"I'll admit I'm famished," relented the Mud Boy with a roll of his eyes. "Dig in, Captain."

Holly grinned and complied. The flavours were tantalizing, even if she gobbled them down too fast to fully appreciate them. Frond, Foaly was right. On all counts. It was starting to look like he deserved that beetle juice, and more.

On all counts? Holly stopped herself. Except one, obviously. Apparently Artemis Fowl _would_ take someone to a seven-star diner for an ordinary business meeting.

They discussed while they ate. The Mud Boy barely touched his food, but it was probably due to his extreme focus while delivering new strategies, ideas for ventures, resolutions and...

"Give it a break, Mud Boy," Holly put her fork down exasperatedly and resolved to meeting his eyes in a chastising stare.

Artemis sighed. "We do have a purpose of being here–"

Smaller dark-skinned hands reached out and took his own. "Mud Boy. Artemis. Arty. Your salad wants to be eaten. We have plenty of time for this later."

"...and that is not it," completed Fowl, looking a little deflated. The elf looked at him quizzically as he shot a glance in Butler's direction and thought she saw the bodyguard nod reassuringly, once. Soon Artemis was facing her again with his usual impassive expression, but he allowed the tiniest hint of emotion to seep through. It was something like...worry? Hope?

Are you done?"

The elf blinked down at her food. "Uh...mostly, yeah. Why? Gotta leave?"

"There's something I would like to show you," he was looking distinctly at a spot behind her shoulder. Holly felt a sudden jab of nervousness that stuck and didn't go away. She couldn't assume a single reason as to why it was there; but it was there all the same, and it made her wish she could get home quickly. "Artemis?"

The human stood out of his chair slowly, allowing her plenty of time to react. Holly nearly jumped in her haste, when she realized she should follow suite. She followed him uncertainly over to one of the glass walls. Her friend was staring impassively out at the twinkling city lights below them, and the elf wondered for the umpteenth time that day why she had never noticed just how beautiful the underground civilization could be, pale as it was in comparison to the surface.

Somehow the architecture, designed in accordance with the natural environment, appeared strangely sentient. Residential structures emerged among clusters of stalactites, blending in apart from their steely gleam, and commercial complexes arose above and below natural caverns, opting to avoid them rather than bring them down. Glo-strips made up the non-existent sky and playful lights danced about the horizon.

"The surface is the warzone," came Artemis's voice, a voice that failed to reveal the slightest bit of what its speaker felt. "Every element of the war so far is located above ground. The LEP's special base, our weapons storage, theirs. The attacks, the advances, the ambushes."

"While Haven City is as it has always been," Holly sighed, leaning against the thin steel rail before the glass. "This war is destroying the surface. It's ironic, really."

The light illuminating her friend's face made it appear paler, but the extent to which it revealed the detail was shocking. She could make out her reflection in his blue lenses, she could see with absolute clarity the calm, eloquent nature of his face, the expression of total certainty that made him appear far older than his years. Artemis Fowl always knew what he was talking about and always knew where things were headed.

"I am on your side, Holly," the reminder was unnecessary, which was exactly why it drew her attention. "But I am human," he continued. "And unlike the allies, I choose to contribute as directly as I can, as if I am one of your own."

Holly was silent for what felt the longest time, before she closed her eyes and acknowledged quietly, "Putting your life in danger everyday."

Artemis once again faced the city. "Because this is more where I belong."

Holly looked at him with an expression of surprise. "In Frond's name, Fowl, did you just say something sentimental?"

He did not reply.

"Hey, I'm trying to lighten the mood," she punched his arm playfully, like she had done many times in the past. "Of course you belong with the People, Arty. _I'm_ here." 

Artemis did not meet her eyes, but this time it was probably because of the slight colour that touched his cheeks. It wasn't all that hard to notice in the light.

"You were saying?" started Holly hurriedly, now remotely aware of the change in her own complexion.

"Everything I do for the People continues to put my family in immense danger," his tone was as it had always been; neutral, unrevealing. "And it won't be long before some independent human-allied group decides to use this weakness to their advantage. I can't stop fighting for the People, but I can't leave my parents and the twins in the way of danger either. I need a solution, Holly."

Holly shook her head slowly. "You want them to move to Haven."

"Precisely."

"Alright," she gazed over at the landscape once more. "I don't see why not. Considering the times, the Council will not permit any human to enter the city for whatever reason, much less take up residence, but given all you have done it should be a relatively simple case. What's more, I'll take it to them myself."

Artemis smiled, and for the first time, it wasn't a smile leaden with smugness or sarcasm. "I'm indebted to you, Captain Short. Truly."

Holly laughed. "And _I_ don't owe you this, and so much more? You're being unfair, Mud Boy. You deserve a civilian honour or something. We would've lost the war several times over if you hadn't negotiated with the allies and secured funding in the first place."

Most flattering."

Holly turned to face him and lifted a playful eyebrow. "Is that _modesty_ I hear? Did you just _let go_ of an opportunity to brag about your skills?"

"I'm a changed person, Captain," Artemis couldn't resist a grin. "I'm past those childish fetishes now."

Holly snorted. "Not in front of Foaly, you aren't."

"I'm not trying to impress Foaly."

"Really? And you're trying to impress me?"

Artemis shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Does it look that way to you?"

The elf smirked. "Oh, let me start ticking them off. Seven star restaurant. Sky lounge. Pretty city lights. Check, check and check. You really are losing your touch."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "I half expected that interpretation from the centaur."

"And it means nothing to you?"

"Not...as such," he'd evaded her gaze a third time. "In all the years we've known each other, it's always taken a crisis to, as you would say, _hang out_. I'm not an expert on the subject, but I'm pretty certain that isn't how normal friendships work."

"Artemis," the elf sighed. "Normal people hang out at Starbucks."

I said I wasn't an expert in the matter."

Holly snickered. "You," she took his arm. "Are a terrible liar, Fowl."

They now faced each other fully, and if Holly was being perfectly honest with herself, she would later recall that this was the instant that everything else in the environment faded into a faraway background, the lights, the buildings, the distant hum of slow traffic. Except for, really, the pale light illuminating the human's face, exposing the fine detail of his features.

"This is another time," said Holly softly, placing a hand on his cheek. "This is another fight we're leading, a new enemy, and a new strain. A second Taillite, Artemis. We can win this war...or lose very, very badly. And I can't even... _think_ of the consequences."

We'll find a way," a pale hand encased hers. "You have a genius on your side."

Holly laughed. " _Unbelievable_."

The moment stretched on, but it didn't last nearly as long as she would've liked. She would've liked another eternity to observe the faint glow over his features, or the rare vulnerability that touched his eyes now. To feel the hand on hers. Unfortunately it could be no one's fault but her own that she suddenly remembered the other presence in the room, and it forced a violent snap out of her reverie.

"Butler," she said, somewhat sheepishly, looking in the other direction. "I'm sorry, I forgot–"

About time," grunted the manservant, but the humour in his tone was unmistakeable. "I was half hoping for an assassin to come knocking."

The elf rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't."

"Holly," came Artemis's voice, as collected as it was always. She looked back at him.

"Are you heading to HQ?"

Holly nodded, sober once again after having been reminded of her rank and the tasks that awaited her soon enough. "I thought I'd spend the night in Haven, but if you're taking a shuttle headed that way–"

"I can book a shuttle for tomorrow morning," Artemis shook his head. "You'll get a better night's rest here than during the journey. Will it be my apartment?"

The elf raised an eyebrow at him, knowing that he knew full well that there was no alternative. She had quarters in close proximity to the LEP center above ground, now, and had moved out of her original flat a couple of months previously and ceased to pay the rent. During those occasional visits to Haven she would normally bunk in either LEP quarters, at Foaly's vacant place or at his, bearing a key of her own to each.

"The last time I was there, your alarm went off at some ungodly hour and the guest room heard it well."

Artemis failed to look impressed. "Multiple times, Captain, I've warned you about that alarm."

"Let's just head back," Holly didn't have to feign a yawn. It came all on its own. "I'm aching for those deluxe pillows."


	3. Enter: Yasuke

Holly."

"Go away."

"Captain Short!"

"Leave me alone!"

Foaly took a deep breath and knocked again.

"Centaur, I'm warning you now..."

Foaly made a fist and banged.

"Ugh!"

There was a faint buzz indicating the door had been unlocked, and it slid open sideways to let in the triumphant centaur.

His grin faded as he saw his elfin friend.

"What?" demanded Holly, falling back into her chair. The desk near it was bundled with stacks of paper and unwanted documents with cobwebs in them. Sure, Holly's personal space usually looked like a hurricane had struck it merciless, strewing and slapping everything around in places that no one would ever _intentionally_ put them, but not cobwebs. Never _cobwebs._

"Didn't you sleep last night?"

"Yes. I mean, no. Not at all." She glared at him through red-rimmed eyes.

Foaly remembered just what last night had been. "You mean you spent it awake with Artemis..."

"D'Arvit!" snapped Holly. She extended a threatening finger out toward the centaur. "Look, I went to bed at eleven. Eleven, Foaly! And I thought that was a good thing, because usually it's the next day when I fall asleep. Oh, but Mud Boy saw fit to wake me up at three in the Fronddamn morning to hop onto a shuttle for here, and now you come along disrupting my sacred sleep. Can't I ever have a break?"

Foaly coughed pointedly in a gesture that he wasn't taking her seriously, but not pointedly enough to convey that he didn't care at all. Holly was dangerous half-dead.

"Eh, anyway, we got a new voluntary recruit. The Commander isn't available so I think you should check him out."

Holly dropped her face into her hands. "Why me?"

Foaly helped her up by one elbow. "Because I can't conduct an interview unless it's for one of my recruits. Who don't work in the field."

The elf stood, groggily. "Fine. But that's all for today."

"Why don't you let go of your pride and request leave?" asked Foaly, albeit with prior knowledge his suggestion was going to be ignored.

The elf waved an arm at him, ignoring his words. "Where's the new recruit, Foaly?"

"You know it's for your own sake."

"Where?"

The centaur rolled his eyes. "Second floor. Interview room. Wherever else?"

Yasuke was an elf born and bred in Atlantis. He did not have the best upbringing and it was the very reason behind his exile five years ago. He had since lived among humans in the city of Tokyo and had initially adopted the name _Naruto_ , but noting how it earned him several suspecting frowns from all over the country, that alias hadn't lasted long. When asked why he never got taller, he had always replied it was the result of being artificially conceived with no real means to do so. He had managed to consult a human to forge many of the essential documents by government law. Yasuke took pride in this particular, not inexpensive, venture. His consulting forger had been the very Mud Man the People themselves had consulted over the years in different circumstances.

Yasuke had had Artemis in his contact for years. And over those years he'd come to know what exactly Fowl meant to the People.

No more than a few months after the events of the Great Techno Crash, fairies were discovered and war started.

He saw it as the devastating tragedy that it was, make no mistake, but something he also saw in it was an opportunity to get back in his people's good books. The world was choosing sides and, however much he'd enjoyed his brief residence in Tokyo, he did not have it in him to betray his blood. Couple the reasons together and there was one course of action that made a lot of sense.

"Good evening, Captain Short," he smiled at elf who entered the room and, somewhat exasperatedly he thought, took a seat opposite him. "A pleasure to finally meet the People's hero."

Holly smiled uncomfortably. Partially because her head still lolled into the lure of sleep, partially because it did not help to know that this fairy had been in exile for five years. "Likewise. Yasuke, is it?"

Yasuke nodded happily. He was normally a cheerful person, and nobody had told him it wasn't wise to be cheerful during an interview for the army. "Yes. Yes, of course. You know, I admire you LEP guys and the stuff you do."

The Captain raised an eyebrow. "But weren't you in exile?"

"That was the council. The LEP defended me then, because their witnesses said I was innocent."

Holly leaned forward, trying to appear intrigued, but in reality it was to stretch the tired muscles of her back. "Were you?"

"Kinda. I did set a deal with those dwarfs but I wasn't the one who did the killing. I tried to stop it. Then walk out on it. I made a mess of the situation."

"And you have human contacts?" Holly looked up from the files Foaly had handed her. Most of the stuff on this guy didn't look very noble; on the contrary, they didn't appear particularly shady either.

"None of whom I really like. They're mostly the guys at bars, and the cashiers at grocery stores, but I had some lovely neighbours. The people at the Arcade, too, I guess I liked them–"

"The LEP doesn't tolerate their time being wasted and I don't tolerate babbling."

"Right. I didn't have many _contacts_ as such. Well, maybe Mr Fowl. Who has, by the way, told me so much about you."

Holly nearly choked. And she'd thought she could just decline the application without having to ask too many questions. "You know him?"

"Oh yeah," Yasuke smiled. It made Holly stare, witnessing such a ridiculously sincere smile in an LEP Aboveground interview room. New recruits usually left this place shivering, or crying, or both. Maybe she wasn't being as tough as she should. "Helped me out a few times. I had to...uh, prove some things to the authorities in Japan. They didn't entirely believe my pointed ears were the product of an unregistered plastic surgery clinic. I understand you're really close to him?"

"And instead of disguising yourself, you kept giving people excuses?"

"Reasons," insisted Yasuke.

"It was too great a risk to take. You could have given away the existence of the People!"

"But I didn't, did I? It happened some other way."

Holly narrowed her eyes at him.

"I wore a woolen hat most of the time, anyway," amended the elf sheepishly. "Of course I knew it was a risk!"

"Voluntary recruit, huh?" Holly still hadn't adopted an altogether friendly look. "Tell me this one thing, Yasuke. Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into? And how serious you need to be about your post in order to stay alive on the field? Our Captains and Majors have strategy brainstorming sessions _every day_. And _every morning_ the rookies, the cadets, soldiers of all levels are briefed on them and they _never stay the same_. The Batallion is unpredictable as it is brutal. Any successful counter-initiatives that we take are either completely on accident or carefully calculated, because no one on our side has managed to hack one of their data bases or schedules. It's very likely that they don't have those in the first place and carry out every attack at just the whims of their leaders, and somehow they're winning this war without so much as a battleplan. It makes their next move hard to anticipate and it makes timely counterattacks neigh impossible. Right now we are running blind. We need everyone on alert at all times. Slacking will lose you your post, and if on the field, worse. Do you understand the gravity of the job you're asking for?"

Yasuke didn't take nearly as long to process this information as she had thought, but following her speech a long thirty seconds stretched on in silence.

"Yes, Captain Short."

Holly sighed.

"Alright. It's not normally in my place to take interviews, so you're going to have to wait until the Commander is available for any real task."

She stood up and extended a hand. "This isn't over."

He didn't hesitate to shake it. "Awesome! So I'm in?"

" _What_ did I just say?"

The LEP cafeteria in the Above ground Headquaters wasn't much to look at. Dull yellow walls and the whole 'lunch room' look. Except that, instead of a buffet you had to stand in a long line until the painfully slow pixie at the counter served everyone before you. Usually, this would have annoyed Holly but today she was glad. At least it kept her away from that blasted centaur whose mind, she knew, was exploding with a dozen annoying questions.

She was about to offer her place in line to a junior officer standing behind her when she spotted Yasuke waving from the much shorter second line, holding up two trays in his hands. _What_ was he even doing here? She hadn't hoped he would get an appointment with the Commander nearly so soon.

Holly groaned and forced herself to follow him to where Foaly had left her a seat. Doubtless he'd been the one to hand the new elf his first assignment; antagonize Captain Short.

"Nice try, by the way," chuckled the centaur as she slipped in opposite. "Standing in that line and buying yourself time. We still have that bet to settle, remember?"

"I already _told_ you that you won, Foaly. And your stories have probably already gone on your website."

"Ah, now, I wouldn't do that!"

The elf raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"Not without enough information."

"You won't get any," Holly met his gaze calmly. "Yes, it was the Sky Lounge. Yes, it was private, but that was probably for security concerns rather than anything else. And I will swear that the view was really good. But it was work-related and we discussed the bio-nukes, the anonymous 'help', the Battalion's new threats and several other things relating to the Cross Species Battle. It was not a date."

Foaly pursed his lips in thought. "What were you wearing?"

" _Oh for Frond's sake_ ," snapped Holly.

The centaur grinned a victorious little grin. "Come on, let's hear it. You don't want me bothering you with the question for the rest of the day, so you might as well tell me now."

Holly sent an almost electrocuting death glare his way. "Or maybe I could hit you just now, and you won't feel like asking me for the rest of the day."

"You're only digging your own grave deeper, Captain," tutted Foaly. "Why on Earth are you so reluctant to tell me? Surely it isn't going to help prove I'm right?"

"Grey," relented the elf, albeit gritting her teeth. "Cocktail dress. A very basic one and about the only thing I owned appropriate for that kind of venue."

"Funny, because you _usually_ pick comfort and sheer stubbornness over dress code," Foaly was struggling not to show too many molars in his grin. It would doubtless draw him a few concerned stares from onlookers.

"It was not a date," said Holly, sounding as though hers was a _statement of fact_.

"Sure it wasn't," replied Foaly unconcernedly, picking up a can of drink. He decided he would not push the matter further. The remarkably unconvinced nature of his words would be more than enough to put his friend off. He was an expert on antagonizing the Elfin Captain in various many ways.

He never got to fully relish in the joy this pasttime brought him, though, because the next instant was when a disaster siren started wailing loud and instinctively everyone, centaur and elf included, was on their feet, heading urgently for one of the three emergency exits.


End file.
